Two owl chicks rescued from beneath Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage after Guns N' Roses set have been named Axl and Slash

Owls and Axl — (Image credit: Secret World Wildlife Rescue, Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Dubbed "the most unusual disturbance case" this year by an animal rescue team, two young owls were recently saved after they were found residing underneath Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage.

The pair of birds were said to have been abandoned by their parents, and found around the time of Guns N' Roses' headline set on June 24, the Saturday night of the festival.

One owl, which has now been named Axl after the US hard rock band's frontman, was found underneath the stage steps, while the second, named after guitarist Slash, was found the next day hiding underneath the stage itself.

Chicks Axl and Slash, who are considered to be siblings, were brought to the RSCPA West Hatch Wildlife Centre in Taunton and then shortly taken to the facilities at Secret World Wildlife Rescue (SWWR).

Following the extraction, the animal rescue team expressed their concerns for the owl chicks' safety, noting the possible impact of loud music exposure.

Fundraising manager at SWWR, David Plant, says that the owls must have been "terrified after enduring almost two full days of loud music".

"When Guns N' Roses were playing Welcome To The Jungle, I'm sure they didn't realise how close they actually were to wildlife," he says.

"This is possibly the most unusual disturbance case we've heard about this year, but it just goes to show the importance of checking your surrounding for wildlife before any activity.

"It looks like the parents sadly abandoned their nest once festival preparation began, so it's difficult to say how long the chicks were left alone", Plant adds, before encouraging people to keep a look out for nests.

Thankfully, the owl siblings are reportedly in good health at the SWWR sanctuary and "pleased" to be reunited.

Our hearts hurt.

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.